German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier today visited UNIFIL Maritime Task Force (MTF)’s German ship “Magdeburg” in the Port of Beirut and met with German peacekeepers.

Welcoming the President onboard the ship, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary hailed Germany’s “extremely important” contribution to UNIFIL.

Major General Beary added that German peacekeepers are doing “enormous amount (of work) helping to build the Lebanese Navy, building their confidence, building their capability.”

Most of Germany’s 125 UNIFIL peacekeepers are with MTF, the UN Peacekeeping’s first and only naval operation.

Deployed in October 2006 at the request of the Government of Lebanon, the six-vessel MTF supports the Lebanese Navy in preventing the unauthorized entry of arms or related material by sea into Lebanon. Its mission also focuses on assisting Lebanon raise its own naval forces to control and protect Lebanon's seaways and territorial waters.

Germany is one of six countries contributing to UNIFIL's MTF operation.

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Article: Tilak Pokharel
Video Editor: Suzane Badereddine
Video camera: Mohamad Hamze
Photo: Pascual Gorriz Marcos
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